SOLITUDE RETREAT: PART III
Some of you know that I recently went on a solitude retreat; five days by myself to read, ride and write. I have been encouraged to do so for years, not because anything is wrong, but simply to allow time to find the essence of the soul and develop clarity of purpose. While there in the hills and meadows of the Meramec River, I came away with some important insights about what it takes to live a meaningful life. For the next five blogs I will share excerpts from my journal. What follows is what I discovered, and I urge you to take a similar journey. Until you do, maybe some of my learning will help. Happy Trails!
One of the main reasons for this solitude time was to define my purpose; be able to definitively answer “what gets me up in the morning?” I read the Power of Purpose by Richard Leider in my quest for understanding.
What I discovered is….I already knew my purpose, it just needed tweaking. I have my cancer experience to thank for providing the clarity –and I am not being facetious, I am truly grateful. I know when I get up in the morning I want to make a difference—make someone’s day or life better. Relationships are the only gold that really matters.
Being here, in a little cabin in the woods with only my horse for company, has allowed me to dig a little deeper and better define my purpose. My gift is helping people get unstuck; to help them identify what they really want, what is holding them back, and what has to change to get what they want. Often, that involves helping them think bigger. So many people underestimate what they are capable of. I hope when I pass onto eternity people are able to say that I challenged them to be more, to really think. One of my favorite quotes is Henry Ford’s, “Thinking is hard. That is why so few do it.” Yet, all of us have greatness inside of us. Another favorite quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson is “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lie within us”. So many people fall short of what they are capable of achieving. Think what the world could be if we all realized everything our spiritual leader created us to do!
Mostly, I help businesses achieve high performance by breaking out of their business gravity. I also work with business leaders, helping them define a brighter, high performance future. Sometimes people ask for my help with their personal situations, and occasionally my young adult children will hint I even offer suggestions uninvited!
How does it work? Imagine someone bringing you lots of puzzle pieces with no picture on the front cover to show you how they fit together. My job is to help them assemble those pieces in an efficient and meaningful way—so they really enjoy the picture they create. Everybody’s good at something—seeing how things work synergistically for good–that happens to be my strength.
My purpose includes using my gifts in all kinds of ways—to run a profitable business, to support non-profits in achieving their goals, to help my friends and kids when they seek advice, and to mentor small business leaders who need some help.
I am considering the concept of a non-profit center that is designed to train smaller start-ups and/or non-profits to achieve their goals with a combination of online and live training. It might start as simply as offering a weekend workshop once a month or several times a year to those who qualify. I would love your feedback and suggestions on this idea and how to get it off the ground.
Spend time defining your purpose. Chances are you already know it. You just need to acknowledge it and then live it!!!